The present invention relates to a system for providing prize fulfillment and in particular to providing prize fulfillment using an electronic fulfillment system for casino also or other gaming systems or processes.
Gaming systems typically involve providing certain services that may have associated costs, among which is prize fulfillment when players have won prizes. Prize fulfillment can be particularly problematic when non-monetary (or other substantially non-fungible) prizes are provided such as prizes which include merchandise or services. When such non-monetary prizes are provided, typically being provided directly by the casino or other gaming operator, the process of prize fulfillment can include a number of costs such as the cost of providing an accounting or recordkeeping system between the time the prize is won and the time the merchandise or service is delivered, the cost of warehousing (or otherwise making available) non-monetary prizes, the cost of actually delivering the merchandise or service, the cost of dealing with any defects in the merchandise, or delivery of the wrong merchandise and the like. Often, the casino or other game operator is not primarily configured for delivering the types of merchandise or service that may be provided as prizes, and these costs may be more burdensome for the casino or other game operator than they might be for other entities which are more focused on such items as a major portion of their business. Nevertheless, provision of non-monetary prizes may be desirable for gaming operators, e.g., in situations where at least some potential players may prefer non-monetary prizes (and thus may be more attracted to those casinos or other game operators which can offer such prizes) and/or because certain jurisdictions may restrict some or all prizes to non-monetary prizes. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system which facilitates non-monetary prizes, e.g. by reducing some or all of the cost or burdens associated with non-monetary prizes in previous systems. It would be useful to provide a system which facilitates shifting some or all of the costs associated with non-monetary prizes to an entity other than the game operator, such that the steps or services provided for non-monetary prize fulfillment can be performed by entities which are more configured for providing such steps or services as an ordinary part of their business.
Although non-monetary prizes may be preferred by at least some players, it is believed that players, in general, wish to have a wide, and preferably changing, variety of non-monetary prizes available and that if the players perceive that they are offered substantially the same non-monetary prizes over an extended time period, there will be a lessened potential for the players to return to a casino or other gaming system or to continue playing at a casino or other gaming system for an extended period. However, previous casinos or other gaming operators have generally found it infeasible to maintain a large and/or time-varying inventory of merchandise or other non-monetary prizes of a type or magnitude to maintain player interest. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a system for non-monetary prize fulfillment which can provide a desirable degree of prize variability while avoiding placing an inventory-maintenance or similar burden on casinos or other game operators.
The present invention includes a recognition of the existence, source and/or nature of problems in previous approaches and systems, including as described herein. In one aspect, non-monetary prizes are fulfilled by an electronic fulfillment system, with information about the nature of the merchandise (or other non-monetary prize) and the location to which it is to be delivered being provided electronically from the gaming system to a prize fulfillment system. Although it is possible to provide systems in which some or all of the prize fulfillment functions are performed, by the casino or other game operator (or an entity which is a part of, or associated with, the casino or other game operator) in response to electronic information, in one embodiment, the prize fulfillment system is an entity different from the casino, preferably an entity which is configured for providing goods or services in response to electronically-delivered requests or orders. In one embodiment, the prize fulfillment system is an Internet-based or Internet-enabled retail entity (e.g. an entity which ordinarily received non-gaming-based order for goods or services over the Internet) and the electronic information for providing prize fulfillment is delivered to the entity over the Internet. As used herein, the term Internet should be understood as including not only those communications using an Internet Protocol which are conveyed (typically long distances) over e.g. an Internet backbone, but, as well, other communications which use Internet protocols, Hypertext Transfer Protocols (HTTP) and the like, such as Internet-style communications that can be conveyed over local area networks (LANs) or similar local systems, including so-called Intranet communications and systems.
In one embodiment, the non-monetary prizes are delivered to a location specified or preferred by the player, such as a player""s home or business address, a player""s hotel room, a third party address specified by the player and the like. Delivery may be by any of a number of means such as by mail, parcel delivery services, couriers, casino employees, prize fulfillment entity employees and the like.
In one embodiment, accounting transactions between the casino and the prize fulfillment entity are settled electronically such as by the casino transmitting an authorization, to the casino""s bank, for debiting the casino""s account, and the prize fulfillment entity transmitting a demand or request for funds to the casino""s bank.
In one aspect, a gaming system and method facilitating electronic fulfillment of prizes is provided. A electronic message is sent from a gaming terminal or casino, in response to winning at least certain prizes, such as non-monetary prizes, to a fulfillment entity. Fulfillment entities which are not a part of or controlled by the casino may be retail entities such as Internet retail entities. In one embodiment, the fulfillment entity selects or formulates a web page displaying a prize or a selection of prizes for display to a user at the gaming terminal. When several prizes or prize options are displayed, the user may select a desired non-monetary prize, e.g. using a touch screen keypad and the like. The prize fulfillment entity delivers the prize preferably at a location selected or preferred by the user, e.g. using mail, parcel delivery and the like.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting components of a prize fulfillment arrangement for use by a gaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting a prize fulfillment process according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a prize fulfillment process according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting a prize fulfillment process according to an embodiment of the present invention.